August 22, 2004: Headlines: Politics: Election2004 - Moore: St. Petersburg Times: Brian Moore suggested that his "social background" as a former Peace Corps volunteer who spent five years studying with the Franciscan religious order - make him best qualified to serve in Congress

Analysts say this race is all but a shoo-in for Republican Ginny Brown-Waite, but her challengers say their efforts are worth it to oust "another Bush rubber stamp."

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer Published August 22, 2004

Two years ago, Florida's 5th Congressional District captured national attention as one of just a handful of competitive races for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Republican Ginny Brown-Waite, then a state senator, pulled off the rare feat of ousting the incumbent, Karen Thurman - but just barely. Before she took the oath of office, political analysts already had labeled her "vulnerable" for 2004.

After assessing the field of Democrats vying for the Aug. 31 primary nomination, those same observers have changed their tune. The district is absent from the competitive race lists of the Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg Political Report.

Congressional Quarterly, owned by Times Publishing Co., parent company of the St. Petersburg Times, rates the race as "Republican favored," just a step shy of "safe."

"It was a race to watch if Karen Thurman ran," said Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report.

With Brian Moore of Spring Hill, Richard Penberthy of Wesley Chapel, John Russell of Dade City and Robert Whittel, who lives near Weeki Wachee, in the running, Rothenberg said, "it's absolutely not on the list of races to watch."

"The Democrats in Washington aren't talking about it," he continued. "It's off the radar screen."

Party leaders would not comment about the candidates before the primary. But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee stopped sending news releases attacking Brown-Waite nearly a year ago, and insiders have said privately that they are focusing resources elsewhere.

The hopefuls have said they are running because the country needs to change. And they contend that Brown-Waite is too closely aligned with the Bush administration and House Republican leaders to make that happen.

Brian Moore

Moore is the candidate with the most political experience among the four, having run several failed election campaigns.

He received 2.4 percent of the vote as an independent for this same seat two years ago. Moore lost three bids for mayor of Washington, D.C., and another to serve on the D.C. City Council.

He briefly won the presidency of the Spring Hill Civic Association, only to be stripped of the position because he held an office with the Reform Party of Florida, against civic association rules. Now, Moore heads a small watchdog group called the Hernando County Good Government League. He also regularly leads local antiwar protests.

He wants to serve in Congress as a Democrat, even though some party faithful blast him for nabbing votes in 2002 that might have kept Thurman in office.

Moore explained that his switch to the Democratic Party, a party he blasted just two years ago, had one foot in philosophy and the other in reality.

Most of the positions he took in 2002, and continues to support, were more Democratic than anything else, he said, listing such views as his ardent opposition to the war in Iraq and his call for a universal single-payer health care system.

"The practical factor is, it's difficult to win as an independent third-party candidate," Moore said, noting the implosion of the Reform Party. "That prompted me to return to the Democratic Party."

He rejected the notion that he was Thurman's spoiler, attributing her loss to several factors, not the least of which was her lackluster campaign. Redistricting also put Thurman at a disadvantage, Moore said.

If anything, he said, he considers himself a progressive Democrat who supported such notables as Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern.

Without much money to fund his campaign, Moore depends on free media publicity, the Internet, forums and door knocking to get his message out, which he feels distinguishes him from his competitors.

On the Iraq war, for instance, Moore is the only candidate calling for a quick transfer of military authority to the United Nations.

"We are the aggressor," he argues. "The sooner we get out of there, we can bring peace to the country, protect our soldiers from harm's way and (stop) the godawful economic burden."

He also presses for repeal of the Patriot Act, while the others support modifications.

Moore suggested that those types of positions - plus his "social background" as a former Peace Corps volunteer who spent five years studying with the Franciscan religious order - make him best qualified to serve in Congress.

"I have stood up for principle," he said at a recent forum. "I will represent the people all of the time."

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Story Source: St. Petersburg Times

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